So I check Google News to see if Toronto Mayor Ford had done anything embarrassing lately, and the answer is Yes:
The head of the TTC union alleges Mayor Rob Ford drove past the open doors of a Toronto streetcar on Wednesday and then got into a confrontation with the driver.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 president Bob Kinnear said the driver did not know it was the mayor when he got up from his seat to confront him. TTC spokesperson Brad Ross later confirmed the driver left his seat, adding that he should not have done so. Failing to stop behind the open doors of a streetcar is a violation of the Highway Traffic Act and carries a fine of $109. The mayor was not charged and Ross told the Toronto Star the matter was closed.
Did you know that stopping behind the open doors of a tram in Berlin is also required?
[…] Review STL looks longingly on the in-progress teardown of an elevated highway in Oklahoma City. And Systemic Failure recounts another embarrassing incident involving Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, whose risky driving […]
Also the law in Boston, but oft-ignored. There’s been some discussion of putting cameras in key locations. Kudos to the driver for standing up for his passengers. But how did he confront the Mayor if the car was “driven past” the streetcar?
Matthew: id guess he was probably rushing up to a red light. It takes a certain sort of stupid driver to do that, maybe the same sort who drive past a streetcar with the doors open.
Its illegal in San Francisco too I believe, and probably any other cities that have streetcars that load and unload into the outer travel lane.
FWIW, in Switzerland, it is also forbidden do pass a streetcar vehicle at a stop without platform. I couldn’t find out how big the fine is, but you can be sure, there will always be passengers volunteering as witness against the driver. And it does not matter who that driver is.
How the hell did Mr. Ford get away without being charged? Claiming ignorance of the law, I suppose?